"Want Udonis Haslem suspended immediately" - ESPN insider humorously admonishes co-worker after Heat legend predicts Pistons to upset Knicks

The New York Knicks have been one of the best teams in the NBA this season, and as the playoffs grow closer, teams are preparing for what is shaping up to be an exciting postseason. However, former Miami Heat player Udonis Haslem doesn't have as much faith in New York to make a run as others, much to the chagrin of one of his ESPN coworkers.

Udonis Haslem played in the NBA for 20 years, all with the Miami Heat. He is a fan favorite and a team legend in Miami, but he has pivoted into a second career in the sports media space, as well as remaining involved with the Heat.

He has worked with ESPN as an NBA analyst and has done a good job, at least until Tuesday night, according to Stephen A. Smith, a New York Knicks fanatic.

"I'm looking at Detroit and I'm saying this could be a first round exit for New York," said Haslem about the No. 3 seed Knicks' potential first-round matchup with the sixth seed.

Stephen A. Smith had a strong reaction to Haslem's claim about the Knicks falling short in the playoffs, using the opportunity to poke fun at the former NBA veteran on Wednesday's episode of "First Take." Before launching a series of compliments about Haslem's growth on camera, Smith said that he should be fired for what he said about the Knicks.

"I want Udonis Haslem suspended immediately," said Smith. "He should be suspended immediately, you understand, for saying such things knowing how that was going to break my heart. This really really hurts..."

Smith has been a big supporter of the Knicks his entire life and has backed the team as they have returned to contention in the Eastern Conference. He acknowledged, however, that the team does have an Achilles heel that could be exploited once the playoffs begin, especially if the team isn't fully healthy.

Jalen Brunson's ankle injury could spell doom for the Knicks

New York is almost assured the third seed in the Eastern Conference at this point in the year, holding a five-game lead over the Indiana Pacers with 15 games left to play in the regular season.

Unfortunately for the Knicks, they will be without All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson for the foreseeable future as he continues to recover from an ankle injury he suffered on March 6.

Brunson is expected to return to the team before the end of the season, but if he isn't 100% healthy heading into their likely first-round series against Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons, they could struggle.

New York depends heavily on Brunson as an offensive playmaker. Without him at full strength, the team has easily handled the past two postseasons.

Brunson's injury was the result of a freak accident, but it served as a reminder of what happened to a lot of New York's players as the season wound down last year.

By the end of their playoff run, Brunson, Josh Hart and OG Anunoby were all dealing with injuries, possibly due to playing lots of minutes. If head coach Tom Thibodeau isn't careful, history could repeat itself this year.